Baking Chicken Breasts is far less time consuming then roasting a whole bird, it's very easy to do, and with a little foresight, you can make extra chicken breasts to use in different ways, at a later time.
When you are only cooking for one or two people, it's helpful to bake more than the amount you are planning for your dinner and use them for lunches, or an additional meal the next day. This saves you energy and time. I do a lot of bulk cooking for these reasons. Meal planning for a week ensures I have easy to make meals that I can put together and I don't need to go scurrying for ingredients or an idea when I am in a hurry.
This is a post which tells you how to save time, money, energy and how to do a little meal planning to make it easier on yourself, during the week. Baking the Chicken Breasts with Stock or Water also means you aren't adding additional fat to your meal, if that is of concern to you. You can skip the cheese too, this is not a hard and fast recipe, it's an idea for an easy meal using the ingredients you may have at hand.
Chicken Stock
I will post some recipe links for you to try out as well as talk about baking Chicken Breasts. Some are healthy ideas, others are quick. Just remember to change up your ingredients in your meal planning so you aren't eating too much of any one thing. It keeps your meals more interesting and you get a better variety of nutrition when you use a wider range of foods.
Cooking Tip:
Cooked Chicken will store well in the Fridge for up to 3 full days. If you don't think you will use them all within that time, simply wrap up what is left and place in your freezer (double wrapped and clearly labelled**) for use at a later time.
Use a baking dish with a tightly fitting lid and make sure you use a little moisture at the bottom to keep the Chicken from drying out and/or burning. Chicken Breasts usually cook in less than 20 minutes if your oven is up to temperature and the baking dish heats quickly. Allow a little extra time if you are unsure. The Chicken should be firm to the touch and it will have lost some moisture and have shrunk in diameter, but risen slightly in height. The more you are making, the longer it may take.Bake your chicken at 375 F, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Depending on their size and quantity, you may wish to let them sit a little longer than 20 minutes, or check the temperature. Fully cooked is 165 F or 75 C.
Make sure you don't let all of the moisture evaporate away, the extra steam ensures the chicken cooks thoroughly. Higher temperatures are OK for quicker results, but I like to cover my bases.
Any spices or ingredients you add may be sprinkled over the chicken and the moisture will help flavour the meat as well as the liquid it is cooking in. You can make a sauce with the excess if you wish
Baked Chicken Breasts ~ Meal Ideas
The above images are Baked Chicken Breasts with Sun-dried Tomato, Basil, Oregano, Red Pepper Flake and Roasted Garlic.
1/2 TSP of each spice sprinkled over the Breasts
3 diced Sun-dried Roma Tomatoes
4 Roasted Garlic Cloves
I made 4 Chicken Breasts at the same time, 2 were grilled with Marble Cheese, and 1 of these was sliced up for our dinner and served between us with warm "Salsa", Brown Rice and a few sprigs of Cilantro on top. You can skip the cheese if you wish.The spices and side choices were used to mimic a Mexican dish, although with less "heat". As a meal idea, it was very fresh, and quick to make.
You can serve this dish up with a warmed Tortilla Wrap, we kept it simple as the portions were enough for us.
I am reserving the other Grilled Breast for a basic sandwich for both of us, I have frozen, the other two for use in the future.
Warm Salsa
Slice up:
1 Celery Stalk
2 Roma Tomatoes
1 Slice of Yellow Onion
1 Large Mushroom
Add ingredients to a small roasting or baking pan with a lid (Optionally you can do this on the stove top, Medium High Temp until ingredients begin to soften). **
Sprinkle with Basil Oregano and Drizzle with Olive Oil.
You want slightly softened and warm Vegetables, not Mushy.**
Bake at the same time you make your Chicken. 20 Minutes at 375 F.
There are many ways to make a quick dinner if the chicken is at hand and ready to use.
Additional ideas which I have already posted:
Lettuce Wrap Ideas
Pho Soup - Chicken Version
Cheesy Chicken Bruschetta
Chicken Paprikash
Chicken Quesadilla
Spinach and Chicken Penne - Link to Video
There will be additional recipes added to this post as I go. Chicken Breasts are an excellent staple for easy meal planning. The spices you use assist in creating some very complex flavours and unique meals, without a lot of effort.
Have a wonderful day!
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